14 Words by Email

Thursday, 13 June 2013

A majority is holding fast in support for gay marriage, and even more Americans say legally married gays should receive full federal benefits.
But opinions shift on another social and legal issue, with
three-quarters - including more than seven in 10 whites and nonwhites
alike - opposed to consideration of applicants' race in college admissions.

Attitudes on gay marriage extend the dramatic shift in recent years toward greater support for gay rights. On affirmative action, the results indicate continued resistance among many Americans to race-based preferences.

On the former, 57 percent of Americans support allowing gays and
lesbians to marry legally, and 63 percent say the federal government
should give the same benefits to legally married gays that it gives to
other married couples. On the latter, just 22 percent support allowing
universities to consider applicants' race as a factor in deciding which
students to admit; 76 percent are opposed.
Criticism of affirmative action - particularly the consideration of race
in college admissions - has been as high or higher in previous polls.
In a Gallup/CNN/USA Today survey in 2001, for instance, 87 percent said
colleges should not be allowed to consider race as a factor in student
admission decisions, vs. 76 percent in this poll.

Perhaps surprisingly, this survey, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates,
finds little in the way of racial or ethnic differences on the
question. Seventy-nine percent of whites oppose consideration of race in
college admissions, as do 71 percent of nonwhites, including 78 percent
of blacks and 68 percent of Hispanics. In the 2001 Gallup poll, opposition was similar to its level now among nonwhites, 74 percent, while higher among whites, 90 percent.

Even political liberals in this survey oppose the practice, by a 2-1 margin.
Other research has found varying views on efforts to assist
disadvantaged groups in areas such as college admissions, hiring and
promotions, depending on the nature of the effort. Previous ABC News
polls, for example, have found greater support for programs that give
assistance but not preference, or that are based on income rather than
race.
Results on legalizing gay marriage are consistent with previous recent
surveys, with far less support among conservatives, Republicans and
older adults than among others. Still, federal benefits for legally
married gay couples win more support in these groups, as well as
overall. For example, while just 33 percent of Republicans support gay
marriage, 42 percent support equal benefits for legally married gays.
The shift is similar among conservatives.
On the other side of the spectrum, support for gay rights soars, as is
customary, among young adults; three-quarters support gay marriage and
equal benefits alike.
METHODOLOGY - This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by
landline and cell phone June 5-9, 2013, in English and Spanish, among a
random national sample of 1,007 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points. The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling, data collection and tabulation by SSRS/Social Science Research Solutions of Media, Pa.